The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE laws are in place, but for the disabled community in The Bahamas, they’re often nothing more than words on paper.

As leaders of advocacy groups push for change during Blindness Awareness Month this October, their frustration is clear: it’s not a lack of legislation that holds them back — it’s the failure to enforce it.

“We have laws to protect our rights, but people still act like they don’t matter,” said Townsley Roberts, deputy executive secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities. “At home, they’ll park in spaces reserved for disabled persons without a second thought. But abroad, they suddenly follow the rules. It’s a lack of respect.”

Mr Roberts explained that while businesses are given time to comply with accessibility orders, public apathy slows progress.

He provided a practical example of how businesses can comply with accessibility requirements without facing significant financial strain. He said while retrofitting older buildings with ramps or elevators may be costly, there are more affordable solutions.

“It doesn’t always require spending a lot of money,” he said. “In some cases, a clear policy outlining how the business will accommodate persons with disabilities is all that’s needed. For instance, if a building isn’t fully accessible, staff can offer to meet clients at their car or provide services in a more convenient, accessible area.”

The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, he explained, allows businesses time to comply with adjustment orders, giving them the flexibility to implement changes gradually and avoid unnecessary financial burdens.

Jermaine Brown, president of the Bahamas Alliance for the Blind and Visually Impaired, knows frustration well.

“We don’t ask for pity or charity,” he said this week. “What we ask for is respect and inclusion.” 

This lack of enforcement is part of a wider problem of apathy, says Kendrick Rolle, executive director of the Bahamas Coalition of Advocates for Disability Awareness and Services.

“Everybody has words of encouragement, but when it’s time to act, they disappear,” he said. “It’s not enough to have laws on the books — there must be a societal shift toward ensuring those laws are followed.”

The leaders are also concerned that the disability advocacy community is ageing, with many key figures who have been pushing for disability rights now approaching the later stages of their careers.

Mr Roberts expressed concern over the lack of younger people stepping up to continue the work.

“We need more young people to join the movement, to advocate for the disabled, and to ensure that the progress we’ve made doesn’t fade away,” he said.